How to Make Lawn Patch Mix

Grass thins around large trees that compete for water and nutrients.

Brown spots and bare patches can occur for many reasons, ruining the appearance of your lush, green lawn. Soil compaction occurs with a lot of foot traffic and the grass resists root growth. Dull lawnmower blades tear the grass rather than cut it, causing the grass to dry out and die. Dog urine can create round brown patches of dying grass from the acid. You can make your own lawn patch mix with common gardening amendments and grass seed to fill in these areas quickly.

Mixing Lawn Patch

1

Pour equal amounts of garden soil and sphagnum peat moss with plant food into a wheelbarrow. Alternatively, substitute coconut fiber for the peat moss. Coconut fiber is shaved from the outer shells and it retains water at about the same rate as peat moss. Using coconut fiber will necessitate using a seed starter fertilizer to help germination.

2

Mix the two items together thoroughly with a garden rake until the mixture is consistent. Insert the rake deeply on the sides of the wheelbarrow and then rotate the mixture upwards in a folding motion. Sphagnum peat holds water to keep the seeds moist for germination and can hold up to 20 times its weight in water.

3

Add grass seed to the soil to obtain about 20 seeds per square inch and mix it in thoroughly. Mix the grass seed in by hand or with a garden rake in the same manner as the garden soil and peat moss. Pick up a handful of the lawn patch mix and pour out all but about one square inch in your hand. Count the seeds to ensure you have about 20 in this amount of lawn patch. Fewer seeds will not fill in bare spots as well.

Applying Lawn Patch

1

Remove any grass thatch -- the brown grass roots under the green blades -- from the areas and discard them. Add shovelfuls of plain garden soil in holes so they are 1/2 inch below ground level.

2

Scratch the surface of dry ground in a hole or bare spot with a garden rake to loosen the soil slightly.

3

Fill the brown or bare spots with the lawn patch mix to a depth of 1/2 inch. Step on the mix to push it down to make contact with the bare soil underneath. Water the patches thoroughly with a garden hose. Keep the soil moist until the grass seeds germinate.

Things You Will Need

Garden soil

Sphagnum peat moss with plant food

Wheelbarrow

Garden rake

Grass seed

Shovel

Garden hose

Tip

Use lawn patch mix in the spring or fall when temperatures are between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Grass seed needs this temperature range to germinate.

Add the same type of grass seed to your homemade lawn patch as in your lawn for a seamless patch.

Warning

If you regularly use a weed control product on your lawn, such as a weed and feed product, read the label to determine when to apply the lawn patch mix. Commonly, product labels advise waiting a minimum of four weeks after using weed control to plant seeds.